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Saturday, February 13, 2016

Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime for Threatening to Firebomb Two Mosques and Shoot Worshippers

The Justice Department announced today that Martin Alan
Schnitzler, 43, pleaded guilty to a hate crime in the Middle District of
Florida for calling two mosques located in Pinellas County, Florida, and
threatening to firebomb the mosques and shoot their congregants.

Schnitzler pleaded guilty to obstructing persons in the free
exercise of religious beliefs for making the violent threats.As part of his plea, he admitted that on Nov.
13, 2015, he intentionally obstructed members of the Islamic Society of St.
Petersburg, Florida, and the Islamic Society of Pinellas County from practicing
their religion when he left voicemail messages threatening the safety of the
mosques’ congregants.Schnitzler
admitted that his threats were prompted by the terrorist attacks in Paris.Among other things, Schnitzler also admitted
that in one of the voicemails he threatened to “personally have a militia”
report to one of the mosques and “firebomb you, shoot whoever is there on sight
in the head.I don’t care if they’re
[expletive] two years old or a hundred.”

As a result of the above threats, both mosques requested
increased law-enforcement presence at their locations and took extra safety
precautions for congregants.

“Our Constitution and laws guarantee all people – regardless
of where they worship – the right to live free from violence and
discrimination,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta,
head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.“Criminal threats of violence against people
or places of worship have no place in our society, and as proven today, the
Department of Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute those who commit religion-based
hate crimes.”

“The right to worship as one chooses, free from threats and
intimidation, is one of the core principles upon which our great nation was
founded,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of
Florida.“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is
committed to taking whatever action is necessary to vindicate this important
First Amendment right.”

Sentencing for the defendant will be scheduled at a later
date.Schnitzler faces a maximum
sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of the
St. Petersburg Police Department.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel George and Daniel Irick of the Middle
District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gabriel Davis of the Civil Rights
Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.